Monday 3rd August 2009

What a sunrise to look at! The sun was rising over the saltpan of Lake Eyre which gave it the impression of a big white frost. This is not the case. The colour is amazing not only of the rising sun over the saltpan but also the beautiful mauve colour of the night sky disappearing to the west.

We had our breakfast and socialised again with our Tasmanian neighbours in their home built slide on camper. It was really well done and also included a shower and toilet. We all compared the insides of our temporary homes.

Eventually, it was time for us to move on again. We drove along steadily to Curdimurka siding. This has been restored along with quite a few other sites by the Ghan Historical Preservation Society. This location, in the desert, is the location of a bi annual formal fund raising dinner. The only requirement is that men must be dressed in formal tails and women in formal evening wear. There are an incredible number of people who turn up for this function.

Our next stop over was the “Bubbler and Cup” which are mounds above the surrounding salt encrusted landscape. The water is forced out by pressure from the Great Artesian Basin deep below. Apparently, there are cracks in the earth surface and this is where this water gets to the surface. It is an eerie sight, passing through this area. While there we encountered about 20 people in total all doing the sightseeing trip. There was a small four wheel drive coach with most of the people on it who made up the numbers.

Anyone who says there are not many people around must have their eyes closed as we have seen many people and motor vehicles all day and every day, so far.

Our final destination, which was not far from last night, was Coward Springs. This is another of the Ghan Preservation sites. It is privately owned and being restored by Greg Emmett and Prue Coulls. They have dedicated their lives to this restoration Not only of the Train Drivers cottage from a ruin to a wonderful little museum but also the revegetation of about 170 hectares. They have also renovated the station masters cottage to their home. The area had also boasted a hotel which was sadly demolished in 1965. However, Greg and Prue have turned the area that surrounded the hotel into a shady camping area. They have constructed toilets and showers with disused railway sleepers.

Probably, one of the big drawcards here is the original spa which uses water from the artesian bore. It is quite cool water, 25 degrees, compared to other artesian bores I have encountered. It is very popular with weary travellers. It is a very social location where one can meet people from everywhere. While in there, we spoke to people from all over. We especially chatted to a nice couple, Julie and Russ, from Eden on the far south coast of NSW. All of us had a coffee or tea in the late afternoon and later we had several wines together with several other couples from the Blue Mountain area near Sydney.

Finally, it was time for sleep.